Gwen wrote about Books on CD today. I would like to get my hands on some of those… Although I love music, I waste several hours of the day in my car just listening to music or news on the radio. If I could find some useful Books on CD, I think I would be a little happier. Anyone have any suggestions?
So… I talk about books on tape for weeks and weeks with no response. Gwen writes one little comment and suddenly it sounds like the greatest idea on earth, huh? 😉
Anyway, it really kind of all depends on the selection at your library. For instance, I don’t know if my library even has books on CD. They might. I don’t know. You kind of have to go and see what they have and choose from that. You can’t really think of something you want to read and then hope they have it on CD. But go check out your library. Surprisingly enough, it’s actually rather fun. It’s something that little kids and old people do. The people in the middle are missing out.
I listened to audio books when I took the eight-hour bus ride from Abilene to Austin (and vice versa) for holidays. I preferred to travel at night, when other people don’t like having the overhead lights on, so it was something convenient and engaging to do that didn’t require any visibility. Now, they’re super-convenient for my daily bus treks across Austin.
Um, suggestions? As far as where to get them, or what to listen to? Most major stores have them, or you can join a club, if you’re into the whole ownership thing. Libraries may have a few on CD, but since they lack funding in most cases, they haven’t started routinely getting books on CD. I think. Anyway, as far as what to read — I recommend “airport” novels and such. Or self-help. Anything that lends itself to listening in chunks with gaps in between. Something too involved plot-wise may be hard to follow.
But, see, Alissa….you talked about books on TAPE. Gwen talked about them on CD. 🙂
Exactly.
Well, a little while ago I listened to that book about the writing of the OED, what was it called? Ah. The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester. But I listened on tape. I don’t know if it’s available on CD, or where you’d find it.
Also, there are several dramatic readings of Shakespeare plays available — same deal, I saw them on tape rather than CD. But that’s worth looking into. I don’t remember if it was BBC-produced or what.
I started reading The Professor and The Madman… Maybe there are some books on CDs available from Amazon. After all, Hanukkah’s not too far away.
A ha! Look at Spike’s new website! What does it mean that you’ve fled your own domain name? Anyway. Books on CD are truly the greatest inventions ever — the library near me didn’t have them for the longest time, but suddenly, one day, there they were. So far I’ve listened to “Animal Farm” and I’m halfway through Richard Wright’s “Black Boy,” which is FIFTEEN CDs. That is a long, long book… but still, I’d definitely suggest getting unabridged. I’m eying the Best Short Stories of the 20th Century next…
By the way — there are a few books on CD on Amazon, but a lot of them are crappy self-help junk. And you probably wouldn’t listen to them more than once, so you’re better off at the library if you’re lucky enough to have one that carries ’em…